JE Dunn Construction - Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Expansion

2015 ACE AWARDS
International Association of Firefighters
Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial
Expansion
Category 09: Best Building Project
(Under $10 Million—General Contractor)
PROJECT TEAM
OWNER
International Association
of Firefighters
GENERAL CONTRACTOR/
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
JE Dunn Construction
OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE
Wember
PLANNER/CIVIL ENGINEER/
LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
Thomas & Thomas
Landscape Architects
MEP ENGINEER
CEI Consulting Engineers,
Inc.
GRANITE AND ENGRAVING
SPECIALIST
Granite Industries of Vermont
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Michael Orsillo Consulting
PROJECT NARRATIVE
Project overview
The Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial is an international monument located within Memorial
Park in Colorado Springs. Each year in September, the International Association of Fallen Fire
Fighters (IAFF) hold a ceremony that brings visitors from around the country and Canada to
honor the sacrifice made by professional fire fighters and emergency personnel who have given
their lives in the line of duty during the previous year.
The Memorial was erected in 1986 by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). The
Memorial features a large bronze sculpture entitled “Somewhere, Everyday” that depicts a fire
fighter descending a ladder while cradling an infant in one arm. In 1989, the IAFF erected the first
of two granite Honor Walls, which memorialize the names of fallen IAFF members. The second
Honor Wall was erected on September 15, 2001—four days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The reconstruction of the Memorial reorients the site to take advantage of the majestic views of
Pikes Peak, adds space to accommodate more than 5,000 seats and includes a more prominent
entry. 121 new granite Honor Walls surround the sculpture in an arch and are etched with the
names of each IAFF member who has died in the line of duty since the organization’s founding
in 1918—a total of 7,356 names. The reconstruction was completed in time for the 29th Annual
IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Observance to be held on September 19, 2015.
Solutions of Special Projects
During construction our team uncovered an unmarked storm sewer line. Fortunately, the team
was able to tie into the sewer line at that point, thereby eliminating a challenging tie in, and save
time on the construction schedule.
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In addition, the project lost two subcontractors during the setting of the granite Honor Walls just
prior to the start of their scopes of work—a first not only for our team but for our Western region.
Our team was able to bring on an experienced engraving subcontractor at the last minute who
ended up exceeding expectations on this challenging scope of work. The remaining scope of
work was self-performed by JE Dunn, which kept the project on schedule and budget.
Excellence in project execution and management/team approach
The Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial is sacred ground—a perpetual tribute to the bravest among
us. The elegant simplicity of the project belies the fact that it required a laborious attention to
detail and exact precision in execution. Team members collaborated through online project
management software that kept all project team members up-to-date in real time. The project
close-out was expedited with a punch list that utilized a Bluebeam platform. The dedication
to the project was recognized by all members, including subconsultants who took extra care
installing the inspiring words engraved at the family band ring to prevent bifurcation of the text.
Construction innovations/state-of-the-art advancement
A project of accuracy, precision and craftsmanship
JE Dunn self-performed the initial fabrication of the Memorial, which required an unforgiving
level of precision. The Honor Walls are 4-foot wide, 6-inch thick and range in height from 5
feet to 8 feet. They are heavy and fragile and their installation required extreme care. The team
utilized a robotic total station to lay out the site, foundation and walls and used BIM to verify
that angles would match. The team used on a manual stone hand grinder to perfectly align the
pieces of the Memorial.
Engraving the 7,356 names of the fallen on the Honor Walls was a lengthy process. Multiple
reviews with the IAFF, including the development of a full-size paper mock-up, were held to
guarantee absolute accuracy of the names prior to engraving. Engraving the names was a nerveracking ‘One and Done’ process that left no room for error.
Three new life-size, cast bronze statutes were added to the Memorial. The Guardians were
designed to stand as quiet overseers of the site. The first is stationed at the entrance of the
Memorial and the remaining two are anchored into the end caps of the Memorial. Attaching the
Guardians required a high level of precision and collaboration with the artist and the JE Dunn
granite specialist to produce a seamless fit.
Environmental/Safety
We take an “active caring” approach to safety, ensuring that every employee goes home to their
families the same way they came to work. Safety orientations are tailored to the specific project
and the inherent safety risks associated with each project. These challenges were addressed daily
during the “Plan of the Day” meeting held between supervisors and field personnel to determine
recognized exposures and the “means and methods” of eliminating those safety hazards or
controlling them through a “Job Safety Analysis.”
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Our wet spring weather conditions were a challenging aspect of this project. Our team
implemented proactive fall protection practices prior to the arrival of bad weather.
To ensure a safe job site, our safety specialists performed a formal safety audit each week
utilizing a proprietary safety inspection program called SIMS (Sight Inspection Management
System). The data collected from the safety audits provided hazard trends that identified potential
safety deficiencies on the project or with the supervisor or subcontractors.
The job had zero Lost Time Accidents (LTA) and a zero recordable incident rate.
Excellence in client service and/or contribution to the community
The IAFF is a community of over 300,000 members from the U.S. and Canada. Our team
of owner’s representative, landscape architect, general contractor and subcontractors were
committed to delivering a pristine Memorial that reflects the goals of the IAFF in time for the
annual September observance.
To more fully understand the goals of the project, the team met regularly with the national and
local IAFF leadership team and spoke with many of the fire fighters and family members who
visited the site. Three mock-ups of the concrete work and two mock-ups of the stone finishes
were developed for the client’s review.
Before construction began, our team consulted the IAFF to determine how best to respectfully
dismantle the original Memorial. In January, the IAFF held an honor guard Decommissioning
Ceremony that included the General President Harold Schaitberger, General Secretary-Treasurer
Tom Miller, IAFF Chaplain Father Thomas Mulcrone and members of the Colorado Springs
Local 5. (The Decomissioning Ceremony can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=kSTAprgwFNE&feature=youtu.be)
100 percent of the stone from the original Memorial was crushed, wrapped and stored in a
secure location, and eventually repurposed as the foundation for the Family Band section of
the Memorial. Made of black concrete aggregate, the Family Band is a sacred space designated
specifically for the families of the fallen and designed to symbolically embrace them during the
annual ceremony.
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